Thursday, March 29, 2012

Thursday's Daily Brief

Arianna Huffington: I can't stop thinking about the Washington Post's long tick-tock piece detailing the collapse of the debt-reduction negotiations between President Obama and John Boehner. Of course, it was known at the time that the president was seeking a "Grand Bargain," and was in on-again, off-again negotiations with Boehner. But what wasn't known was how committed he was to making it happen. After the deal collapsed, Obama made the "pivot" to jobs, but did so without ever acknowledging how far down the road of Republican dogma he'd gone. And why did the administration prioritize debt reduction in the first place? Millions did what Obama asked in 2008 and voted their hopes, but how many were hoping for the Grand Bargain we really got?

Marlo Thomas: Bully: The Year's Most Important FilmEven if you have to drive across state lines to see Bully, your kids need to be in the audience. Whether you know it or not, they may be among the 13 million American children affected by bullying every year. For them, this is more than just a movie. It is real life.

Bob Cesca: Right-Wing Bullies Continue to Attack ChildrenIt's difficult to assign psychological motive when it comes to political tactics, but based upon the collective behavior of far-right conservative Republicans, we can only deduce that a considerable number of them are bullies and ought to be treated as such.

Cenk Uygur: Supreme Court Might Decide Their Second ElectionIt was a similar crew of conservative justices on the Supreme Court that decided that their long held beliefs on states' rights were irrelevant and made George W. Bush our next president in 2000. Now, they're back -- and they might decide yet another presidential election.

Lee Woodruff: Advice To My Daughters: Keep An Oar In The WaterYoung women today tell me they will not delay childbearing. They have seen too many women wake up at 40 wearing the "I forgot to have kids" sandwich board. And I hold my tongue. There is no cookie-cutter approach to any of this, no one-size-fits-all.